


Duly Noted

by SansyFresh



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Abusive Work Environments, Abusive Working Relationships, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Leaving an Abusive Situation, M/M, Papyrus healing, Sans doesn't understand at first, another Papyrus centric fic lol, but he's not a bad bro, work angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2020-12-21 04:28:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21068852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SansyFresh/pseuds/SansyFresh
Summary: Papyrus was only aware that he'd been fired when the screaming finally stopped.





	1. Screams and Broken Bottles

**Author's Note:**

  * For [yastaghr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/yastaghr/gifts).

> wooo another good fic!! thanks for reading ^^
> 
> enjoy :D

Papyrus hurried from display to display, apron strings chafing his neck as he attempted to stack the rest of the cans and bottles from the holiday displays to their usual places within the time limit he’d been set. Twenty minutes felt a little short to him, even with his usual speed and dexterity making it easier than most to get things where they needed to be, but that was what the boss had commanded and so that was what Papyrus was aiming for.

Of course, there was also the facts that his feet ached, his cervical vertebrae felt like they were aflame with every rub of the coarse fabric from his apron, and every step felt as though his next would end up with his nonexistent lungs caving in. He’d been on a grueling 23 hour shift, one of his longest and yet he wasn’t certain he was even being paid for the overtime. He wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t, he rarely ever was.

Maybe being distracted in his own thoughts was the product of his tiredness, maybe it was from having worked his coccyx off for the last day; it could have been anything really but it resulted in what might have been the worst thing (or best thing) to ever happen in his life. 

The edge of his foot, wrapped in work regulated thick tennis shoes, caught the corner of a large stack of… rather breakable glass beer bottles. It was one of those large displays, one that forms a picture from the different colors. A picture that was spectacularly destroyed as he turned the corner a little too sharp and brought the entire thing down onto the hard concrete floor. 

The sound was incredible, all of the glass and liquid sloshing about as more and more bottles fell, until the very last bottle titled, teetered, and then fell to the mess with a near deafening crash. 

He was shocked, to say the least. Confused, certainly, as to just what had happened in the span of him turning the corner and then suddenly being surrounded by a sea of broken glass and light brown, disgusting liquid. His exposed bone felt slightly sticky, something that distracted him up until a very nasty screaming brought him back to the present. 

His boss was standing in front of him, arms flailing as he screamed about… well, if Papyrus had to guess it was likely about the mess, but his audio canals still felt as though they were ringing from the sounds of glass breaking over and over again. His boss just kept on screaming, a few people nearby recording the site on their phones, and if Papyrus was a little more present he may have felt embarrassed about that. 

“Get the fuck out of my store, you worthless piece of shit! And don’t come back!” cut through the ringing in his skull, Papyrus’ sockets widening before he took a stuttering step forward, whether to try to convince his boss to let him stay or to make a break for the front doors, he wasn’t sure.

His mind was made up for him as the boss came up to him, stomping through piles of shards to rip his hat off his head and the apron from around his neck, nearly choking him in the process. 

He watched, numb, as the boss stomped back to the other side of the store, likely to find some other poor workers to clean the mess up. Papyrus watched him leave, then started for the front doors. He kept walking as the people videotaping followed him up to the front, but not through the doors. He kept walking through the parking lot, down to the very end where his bicycle waited. 

Hopping on, he rode down the side streets and alleys until he reached the neighborhood his datemate lived in with his brother, parking his bike where he hoped it wouldn’t be in the way before padding up the porch and knocking gingerly on the front door.

Red opened it with a grunt, crimson eyelights widening in shock as they took in their datemate. “Babe? What the fuck happened?”

It was then, not before and not after, that Papyrus broke. The tears began streaming, a sob stuck in his throat as his hands came up to clutch at his face.

Red’s face softened, his hands gentle as he brought Papyrus close, leading him inside and upstairs to the shower. Helping him get undressed through his sobs, Red sat him on the padded toilet seat, leading his breathing until he was able to calm down enough to step into the shower without falling. Tears mixed with the warm, soothing water, and Papyrus had nearly calmed down again in the time it took for Red to help him scrub down, getting all the sticky liquor off his bones. 

It was after, when they were cuddling on the couch, Papyrus in a pair of Edge’s pajamas, that he told Red just what had happened at work. What had been happening, how he’d been treated. It all flooded out until he was a limp sack of bones on the couch, cuddled into his datemate’s chest. Red held him through it, then gently caressed him until he fell asleep.

He didn’t watch the now viral videos until later, when Papyrus was in such a deep sleep he wouldn’t hear the tinny screams of a human that was going to get their due.


	2. Slightly Burnt Eggs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and now we go into straight hurt/comfort fluffy mode lol there's like one more slight angst after this, but mostly just h/c fluff ^^
> 
> enjoy :D

Papyrus woke up sometime in the middle of the night, tears streaming down his face as some random nightmare slipped from his grasp, leaving him vaguely unsettled. He sat up, hands clenching the cushions beneath him, only for a small but sturdy hand to grab his shirt and pull him down on top of a waiting body. He fell back willingly enough, confused and still a bit exhausted even as Red curled into his chest. 

Putting his arms around his small, sturdy datemate, Papyrus wondered just how many times Red had watched the video before he’d finally put away a new cracked phone. He could see it sitting on the table, innocent with a fine, hairline crack through the glass. 

He decided he didn’t really want to know and tucked his face into the pillow, falling back to sleep.

He didn’t dream after that, some kind of calming effect keeping them at bay. He was grateful even as he held Red a little bit closer.

~.~

When he awoke again, sunlight was streaming through the windows, the smell of frying bacon and baking biscuits filled the house. There was also the faint scent of burnt eggs, meaning his little lover had attempted to make them for his sake. Papyrus felt touched even as he tried to untangle from the blankets and fell to the floor with a loud thump. 

Red’s head peeked out from behind the kitchen doorway, his eyelights filled with mirth as he surveyed a defeated Papyrus.

“Fallen and ya can’t get up?” Red asked, voice carefully emotionless even as his grin went crooked. 

Papyrus gave his best sigh, the sound coming from the very depths of his soul, and Red snickered before he headed back into the kitchen, likely to save what Papyrus could detect was the scent of burning bacon. Sitting up, Papyrus gently detangled the blankets from around his long legs and got to his feet, relishing in the feeling of bare toes against soft carpet as he headed for the kitchen. 

Red had already plated up slightly too brown scrambled eggs, shiny with butter and cheese, and golden buttery biscuits, the bacon on a paper towel to get rid of as much grease as possible. Red knew how much he hated grease, even if he enjoyed foods that were traditionally greasy.

Papyrus found himself welling with love for his little datemate, but he sat at the table, waiting patiently as Red brought him his plate and a small cup of chocolate milk. He waited until Red had sat down beside him, his own plate and slightly smaller cup of strawberry milk in front of him, and after giving each other a small smile, dug in.

Papyrus was almost immediately on his phone as soon as breakfast was over and the kitchen was cleaned, sitting on the edge of the couch with a pen and a pad of paper as he found various job listings who were monster friendly. There… were not many in their area, other than the Embassy itself… the thought of it made Papyrus’ soul shrivel up. If he couldn’t even do a decent job at a grocery store, what made him think he could work for something that important?

Red entered the room just as Papyrus had set down his pen and began rubbing the space between his eyes, frustrated beyond his limits. He felt the slight weight of Red sitting beside him, a hand coming up to rub at his lower spine.

“What’s up, Paps?” Red asked carefully, his voice void of anything judgmental. Which meant he already knew what Papyrus had been doing, and just wanted him to say it out loud.

Steadying himself, Papyrus did not look at Red as he answered. “I was looking for potential jobs!”

“Uhuh.” 

Papyrus swallowed at Red’s tone, hurriedly explaining. “I just thought! That if I’m to continue living here, I should be able to contribute! It’s important-!”

Red gently took hold of his hands, cutting him off as he pulled them closer to himself. “Paps, what’s important is that you take care of yourself. You jus’ got outta a bad thing. Give yerself some time to heal.”

Papyrus opened his mouth to argue, only to close it again when Red raised a brow. 

“Oh alright, you little gremlin. What should I be doing then?”

Red grinned, flopping back on the couch and pulling Papyrus with him using blue magic, which was absolutely cheating, the TV flipping on to the cooking channel. The dulcet tones of panicked chefs soon filled the room along with Red’s loud laughter, Papyrus grinning as Ramsay began calmly yelling at a particularly disrespectful chef. 

It was nice, he supposed. Simply sitting there, not worrying about the lunch rush, or not getting his breaks to eat, or how late he would be getting home, if he got home at all. Some part of him was grateful for the break, but the rest of him was screaming that he was supposed to be working, standing, doing something to contribute.

It made fully enjoying the entertainment a bit difficult. 

Soon enough though, with the solid weight of Red beside him and the exhaustion that had been fighting him every step of every day for the last few months, not to mention the way that Red’s fingers were gently caressing his skull, he fell asleep, not a dream passing by his eyes.

Red’s calming magic, his soft smile directed to a peacefully sleeping Paps, made sure of it.


	3. Solidarity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wooooo next chapter :D
> 
> remember guys, Sans is trying to be responsible and Papyrus never told anyone about the conditions at work. also they don't live together anymore
> 
> so with that in mind, enjoy!!

It was a few days later, Papyrus in the kitchen making white cheddar popcorn and peppermint hot cocoa for a movie night with his datemate, that he heard the pop of a shortcut in the living room, Red greeting what was apparently his brother with a “‘ey Sansy. Paps’ in the kitchen.”

There was the unmistakable sound of padded slippers coming towards the kitchen after what Papyrus could only assume was the pause of a pair of fingerguns, before Sans’ head popped past the door frame. It looked especially round and soft today, Papyrus would have to ask him what kind of bone shampoo he was using these days. He refused to consider any other alternative answer.

“Hey Paps, you got a minute?”

Papyrus stared down at the pot of still-not-boiling-milk and nodded. “For you brother, I have two!”

Taking it as literal as it was, the milk would be boiling in less than a minute thirty now, Sans padded up to stand next to him, clearing his throat before he spoke.

“So uh. No job, huh?” Sans was probably trying to hide the disappointment in his voice, but Papyrus heard it all the same. He should have known this was coming, should have seen that there was no way his older brother wouldn’t have found out he quit his job. Or rather, was fired for something that was his own fault.

Guiltily, he nodded. Sans nodded back.

“That’s not really like you, Paps. Wanna tell me why you got fired?” It was gentle, the question, the tone, but the disappointment was there all the same. Papyrus couldn’t help the way he felt choked up at the sound of it, tears beginning to stream down his face as he remembered the sound of shattering glass, the stench of beer filling his skull, the ringing sound of angry screaming making him tremble.

The next thing he was aware of was sitting in a chair at the kitchen table, Red standing between him and Sans, holding out his phone. Papyrus cringed, knowing what he had to be showing him, knowing that it was only replaying his misery over and over. He shut his sockets, trying to will away the afterimages of that horrible, no good day. 

Red’s arms were suddenly wrapping around him, slowly in case he wasn’t in the mood for physical comfort, and Papyrus pulled his datemate even closer, breathing him in. The scents of mustard, leather and  _ home  _ pulled him back from the edge of panic, his breathing evening out even as Sans handed Red back his phone, the anger in his eyes palpable even as he smiled gently at Papyrus.

“Think you got enough cocoa for one more, Paps?” 

Papyrus grinned, and if it was tremulous, neither Sans nor Red mentioned it. “Of course.”

~.~

Sans waited to release his anger after he’d left, in the form of trolling strangers on the internet. It was a time waster, and a bit of stress relief when they started trolling back instead of getting angry. 

Immediately after, he dug his phone from the depths of his sock pile, the only pile of clothes his boyfriend allowed him to have in their house. It was a travesty, but what could you do. Sending off a text, he laid back on his mattress, considering a nap. He had work in the morning, and could do with some sleep.

Before he could drift off, however, his phone pinged with a message. Bringing up his texts, he read it to himself, grin turning sharp before he tossed the phone back in the direction of his sock pile.

No human  _ screamed  _ in his little brother’s face and got away with it. No human grabbed his brother like that and got away with it. No human  _ worked his brother like a mangy dog _ and got away with it.

He and the Embassy would see to that.

~.~

Red was sitting up in bed, typing at his phone with a dark look in his eyes when Papyrus woke up again. He’d been sleeping so often these days, he was slacking. Maybe he’d start up looking for a job again tomorrow, just, this time, he’d hide it better from Red!

Or maybe that was a bad habit to start.

Either way! He’d been boondoggling the days away for Too Long! So tomorrow he would either look for jobs, or (more likely), he’d call Razz and ask if he wanted to have another cooking competition.

Razz was so competitive, it was a shoe in!

Determined, Papyrus sat up in bed, frowning as Red put his phone away, turning to him with a crooked grin. “‘Ey Papy, you still tired at all? There’s still a few hours left till sunrise.”

Papyrus cringed at the thought of sleeping more, after he’d already slept several hours! But… a much larger part of him was still very, very exhausted and all but demanded he lay back down and close his sockets again.

“I could… go for a little more sleep, I think.”

Red nodded, smile gentling, and laid down with him, cuddling under the covers. They never woke up cuddled, but always went to sleep that way.

It was silent for a few minutes, other than the fan in the corner of the room, Red seemingly drifting off. Papyrus tried to fall asleep as well, could feel himself drifting away, but just before he could fall asleep he couldn’t help but ask. 

“Red, was Sans mad at me?”

Red seemed to stir at the question, taking a second to process it before he gently took Papyrus by the chin and pulled him into a soft, chaste kiss. 

Then, as he pulled back, he looked Papyrus in the eyes. “No.”

And that was that.


	4. Relishing the Thought

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes next chapter!!!
> 
> this is a more fluffy one ^^ and starts the slow healing of out dear Paps :D
> 
> enjoy :D

It was in the middle of a game of solitaire (the fourth one that day, actually), that Edge burst through the front door, marched up to Papyrus, and with little to no care for card maintenance, scooped Papyrus up and held him close. Papyrus was confused, not unhappy, but confused, until Edge put him down and gave him a look. 

It wasn’t a very nice look, either.

“Alright so I should have said something to you or Red or Sans about it.” Papyrus said, carefully not looking Edge in the eyes. A hand titled his chin up, forcing eye contact, and Papyrus swallowed. “And I should have come to one of you first thing when it started.”

“We talked that through the first night he was home!” Red called from the kitchen, busy making lunch for… apparently the three of them. Edge’s eyes narrowed but Papyrus gave him his best smile, hoping it’d be enough to get a little leeway. No dice, apparently, seeing as how Edge sat him on the couch, wrapping him in several blankets before throwing a “I’ll be right back.” and heading out the door again. 

It was nearly twenty minutes later, Red bringing out a package of carrots for him to snack on while he waited for a meal, that Edge returned, Honey in tow. 

“Hey Paps.” 

Papyrus lit up, struggling to climb out of the mess of a nest when Honey plopped down beside him, climbing in to the nest. He got comfortable, then pulled a pair of controllers out of his inventory.

“Thought we m-might play some CoD?” Honey asked, looking hopeful, and if Papyrus saw Edge sneaking into the kitchen, he pretended he didn’t. 

“Of course, Honey!” and with that the two of them were hunting zombies and enemies and such, Papyrus was never really certain what the games were about. His sort of gaming was along the lines of Animal Crossing, always putting everything in its rightful place. 

Honey enjoyed the more violent games, even given his more shy disposition. The new Doom had been a favorite, seeing as how Honey had brought it over to show Papyrus. He could agree that the graphics were wonderful, the blood and gore that splashed across the screen something to be admired as Honey cut through droves of demons. 

It was entertaining enough to watch for two hours or so, but upon reaching the third Papyrus had started to wonder just what the edgy brothers were up to. He thought the world of Red, and knew that Edge would never be up to nefarious doings, seeing as how he was an ambassador for the Embassy now, but… still, the question remained just what they’d been up to the past three hours. 

The first time he tried to get up and find out, Honey all but dragged him back to the blanket nest, cajoling him with the new copy of Animal Crossing that had just come out. Papyrus lost himself in Bells and Nook Miles for another good hour, but after he’d run out of stuff to do, Honey asleep in the blankets next to him, Papyrus made his move.

Sneaking out of the nest and into the major area of the living room, Papyrus snuck up to the kitchen door, peeking around the side to find… no one, other than a gratuitous amount of groceries sitting on the table. He rifled through the bags, finding hamburger buns, opened packages of veggie burgers with the patties missing, cheese slices, dill pickles, and numerous bags of chips and cookies. 

He was pretty damn confused until glancing up and through the back window, find Edge standing at the grill Red owned, an apron over his chest proclaiming him a “HOT COOK!”. He was waving a spatula around as if to smack Red with it, Red just chuckling, smiling as he plated up the first batch of burgers, Papyrus able to smell it from the open window.

The front door opened, Papyrus moving back to the living room to find Blue covering his brother up with one of the blankets before smiling at Papyrus. He had a few bags of containers around his arms, smelling heavily of mac n cheese and beans. 

“Hello, Papy! How’re you holding up?” Blue asked, a hint of sympathy in his eyes, but not a single ounce of pity. Papyrus found it refreshing as all hell.

“I’m doing much better! You’re brother brought me a game, we’ve been at it for a few hours…” He looked away, a little sheepish, but Blue waved him off. 

“Let me set up these in the kitchen and we’ll put on the movie I brought!” and with that he was off and away, Papyrus staring at the space where he’d been. He stood there until Red returned, smelling strongly of grilled meat. 

“Hey Paps, Blue said you were gonna watch that new uh… Sharknado 7?”

Papyrus all but cackled at the disgusted look on Red’s face, his inner goblin reveling in the thought. 

“Yes of course! You should join us, love.”

Red grimaced, but nodded, and they climbed into the nest as Blue returned, popping in the movie with a delighted grin. 

Papyrus was content, in that moment. It was a refreshing feeling.

Lunch was done halfway through the first few scenes of the movie, Edge insisting they come and get some food before continuing their monstrosity of a movie. Papyrus laughed, but led the way into the kitchen, holding Red’s hand as the two of them piled their plates high with veggie burgers smothered in cheese and high piles of barbecue chips. Papyrus even put a few pickles on his burger, winking at Red as he did so.

“I  _ relish  _ this opportunity to spend time with you all.” he said, smiling, and Red wheezed for a moment before gesturing to the red squeeze bottle Edge was holding.

“Yeah, its a great time ta  _ ketchup  _ wit’ us all.”

Papyrus beamed, before having mercy on a groaning Edge and heading back to the living room… but not before stuffing his mouth full of cookies.


	5. Lasagna Night!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god its been a while for this one, huh
> 
> thank you if you're still reading XD
> 
> enjoy!!

It was a few days later that Edge was over again, preparing one of Papyrus’ favorite dishes in the kitchen while Red sat in his lap and helped him play Resident Evil. Not that Papyrus really needed the help, but Red truly enjoyed watching him play and giving advice about the different mechanics of the game. 

Papyrus could smell the heavenly aroma of lasagna coming from the kitchen, the sizzling meats and oozing cheeses that he could imagine in his mind making him wish that Red wasn’t so persuasive in getting him to sit still longer than a few seconds. It grated on him some days, but so did a lot of things that he deigned not to mention in life. 

Still, he very much wished to go and find out how things were coming along with Edge, and as much as he loved his datemate, Red was currently trying not to pass out on his lap. If Red was to fall asleep, Papyrus would never be able to get up without carrying him along for the ride, and there would be no secrecy to be had. 

He was trying to figure out a way to gently ask Red if he could get up, and what kind of excuse he could use, when Edge popped out of the kitchen, a wooden spoon in one hand. 

“Papyrus, would you mind joining me in the kitchen.”

Keeping his relieved sigh to himself, Papyrus smiled and nodded, gently picking Red up and depositing him on the couch, where he grinned dopely up at him and then promptly fell asleep. 

Rolling his eyelights, Papyrus leaned down, pressed a chaste kiss to Red’s skull, then followed Edge into the kitchen. The smell of baking pasta made his mouth water, as much as a skeleton’s mouth could water, and Papyrus couldn’t help but turn the light on to peer inside at the dish.

Edge was trying not to preen but Papyrus could see the pride in the way he straightened up. Still, there was something else in his expression, something that said that he was debating how to bring something up. 

Papyrus chuckled. “You know, if you want to say something, all you have to do is open your mouth and say it! I’m sure I’ll only be mildly offended!”

Edge laughed, shaking his head as Papyrus grinned wide.

“I’d hope what I have to say won’t make you offended at all, but there’s always the possibility. I’ve been looking into getting you a job at the Embassy.”

The pit in Papyrus’ soul dropped to his knees, his hands coming up to wring together unconsciously as he stared hard at Edge.

“You’ve been what?”

Edge stared back. “Don’t act like you haven’t thought about getting back into work. Red told me your plans, to find another job without consulting anyone, and I wanted to make sure that you didn’t get hurt again by falling into the same pit trap that ended with you making it viral.”

Papyrus looked away, something like a weeping anger settling in his soul. “You wouldn’t happen to think I’m just stupid, would you? That I need someone to hold my hand to find a place of work, that I couldn’t possibly do it myself?”

There was acid in his words, meant to burn. Edge stayed impassive.

“Absolutely not. I just understand what it's like to work in a position that ends with abuse, pure and simple. It's not healthy, and you have the means to have help finding something new.”

Papyrus swallowed, but nodded. That made sense. He didn’t like it, but it made sense. “Why the Embassy? I’m no good with people, I can barely keep up with the people I have in my life now.”

Edge gave him a strange look. “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t think you were perfect for the job.”

Well. That was the truth, as Edge said it, and it made Papyrus feel something like pride, something like sickening fear. 

“I’ll think about it.” He finally answered, and Edge nodded, satisfied. They both set about preparing the sides for dinner, Papyrus finding the repetitive motions around making the garlic bread soothing. All he had to do was think about the dough, the measurements of the spices, and the smoothness of the butter as the pieces of thick bread were brought out from the oven. 

Red came in eventually, yawning and pulling Papyrus into a nearly raunchy kiss that had Edge coughing loudly from the other side of the room, Papyrus’ face lit up a bright gold. He helped mix the salad, adding generous layers of shredded cheese and vinaigrette. 

The dinner passed by uneventfully, Papyrus and Edge talking loudly over Red’s puns, sometimes adding some of their own. 

Edge went home afterwards, leaving Papyrus and Red to clean up and do the dishes together, not that either of them minded. Red started in on the dishes, Papyrus putting the remaining food that hadn’t been sent with Edge into tupperware and into the fridge. It was a companionable silence, but it was eventually broken, as all silences are.

“So bro asked you about the job offer?” Red asked, nonchalant. Papyrus closed his eyes, counted to five, and continued scooping salad.

“Yes. I’m not going to take it.”

He could hear more than see Red roll his eyes. “Sure you’re not.”

“I am not. I never lie.”

This time Red actually gave him a look. “Uhuh. If that’s what you tell yourself to sleep at night, sweetheart.”

Papyrus glared at him, Red grinning unrepentant and returning the scathing kiss that Papyrus gave him.

“You’re lucky I love you, heathen.” Papyrus ground out, pushing the box of salad into the fridge before joining Red at the sink. Red was snickering, shaking his head as Papyrus debated the merits of dumping water on him.

“You know I love ya, right?” Red asked, staring up at him with a lopsided grin. 

Papyrus could only smile back, soft.

“Of course.”


	6. Up All Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a comfort chapter because Papyrus deserves it
> 
> also a cameo by Sans because he's an asshole
> 
> enjoy!!

It was a warm day out, Papyrus sitting out in the back yard with his sun hat and a book to read, lounged on a lawn chair and listening as the sprinklers did their thing in the garden. He was on mandatory break, after cleaning the house a fourth time and driving Red insane with his need for folding the clothes to be perfect. Red was inside doing the folding, without Papyrus’ help, thank you, and Papyrus was outside, waiting for the words to stop swimming across the page.

He was not going to nap, no matter how tired he got. Every time he closed his eyes, he could hear the screaming, telling him of all his faults, of every mistake he’d ever made, all of his sins dancing in front of him. So it was simple! He didn’t sleep.

Still, it made this comfortable warmth a little difficult to stay awake through, even with the thermos of iced tea he had at his side, the hat shading his eyes just enough to make them droop dangerously.

It was the sound of the sliding glass door opening that put him on edge, which was hilarious seeing as how Edge was the one walking outside, another lawn chair under his arm, his upper body bare and showing off just what it was that Sans liked about him physically. 

Papyrus may have been dating Edge’s brother, but he knew  _ fine  _ when he saw it. 

Then, suddenly, Edge was setting up right next to Papyrus, a large sun hat on his own head, and before Papyrus knew it Edge was laying down, the hat nearly covering his eyes, his breaths slowly evening out. 

“Urm.. Edge?”

The hat lifted minutely, crimson eyelights staring up at him blankly. “Yes?”

Papyrus was at a loss, so he tossed a small “Nevermind…” to the wind before turning back to his book. Out of the corner of his socket he saw Edge staring at him for a long moment, before smirking and going back to… well. He guessed sleep. Who knew Edge was one for sun napping? Papyrus certainly didn’t. 

He wasn’t really sure what Edge had found amusing until he was nearly engrossed in his book and heard the slurp of a very ungrateful skeleton, a brother perhaps, drinking down his tea next to him. 

“Sans, if you’re going to be a bother, can you do it inside to my boyfriend, and not your poor loving brother?”

There was a chuckle, Papyrus glancing over on his other side to find Sans, inexplicably in his own lawn chair, with his own sun hat, diligently chugging down Papyrus’ tea. He was even decked out in the same outfit as Papyrus and Edge: no shirt, shorts with a drawstring, and sandals. 

Papyrus didn’t even know that Sans owned sandals. This was a momentous occasion, but only if he didn’t have to murder his next of kin because of a tea shortage. It really would be a shame.

“Sans, please put down the thermos before I’m forced to use drastic measures.”

Sans winked at him, taking one more obnoxious sip before he finally put the tea down. It felt surprisingly full still, so Papyrus forgave it, putting the thermos back on the arm of his chair.

“So uh, how you been, bro?” Sans asked, but when Papyrus glanced over his eyes were shut, his breathing even and careful to look steady. Sans was invested in his answer, like he always was, but Papyrus could tell he was… especially interested this time. He wondered if it had to do with any pranks or anything of that sort, but decided that he’d weather it if it did.

“I’m fine, like always. A little tired, I guess, but ready to take on the day!”

“Is that why your hands are shaking?” Edge piped up from his other side, and Papyrus had a hard time not hissing.

“I did not ask for help from the peanut gallery, thank you.”

There was a low chuckle, but Papyrus was already angrily trying to read his book again. Sans waited a few minutes before trying again, to his credit, but Papyrus was still not really in the mood.

“So on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being “AAAAAAAA MY WIFE LEFT ME AND MY DOG IS DEAD” and 10 being “Ahhhhh, I live in a beach hut in Tahiti and nothing can bother me ever again”, how are you really doing?” Sans asked, the words making little to no sense until Papyrus had passed them through his head a few times.

“A… a 5, I would say?”

Sans nodded. “Yeah, that’s about what I figured. I’ve got a prognosis, but its grim.”

Papyrus rolled his eyes. “And pray tell, Doctor Font, what is my prognosis?”

Sans finally looked up at him, grinning from ear to ear. “You need sleep.”

Something finally snapped into place for Papyrus, the fact that the two of them were out here just like he was making a whole lot more sense than it had been.

“Oh… you mother fuckers."

Sans laid back in his chair, still grinning that cheshire smile, and Edge wasn’t doing much more than that.

“It takes one to know one, I’ve found. Go the fuck to sleep.” Edge said, eyes open and staring at the house. Papyrus huffed, mildly offended, but finally laid back, allowing his eyes to close.

At least the two of them would be there to catch him, should he fall out of his chair in an attempt to escape the nightmares that would probably plague him.

He didn’t know the other two were watching him, watching so carefully for any signs of discomfort, so ready to catch him. 

He also didn’t see Sans finish his tea, refilling it before heading back home, Edge staying out with him as he slept, peacefully for once until the stars had peeked out from behind the curtain of daylight.

Papyrus woke to the sound of crickets and the pleased grin of a satisfied Edge.

“Did you sleep well?”

Papyrus glanced at him, then up at the stars, rubbing a hand down his face once before answering. “Yes. I did.”


	7. The Best

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yassss an end of the year update for this fic!! i hope you all enjoy :DD
> 
> warnings for anxiety, panic attacks, and violent flashbacks

The drive to the Embassy was one that Papyrus had been dreading for a good three nights. Red had held him through every anxiety driven urge to get out of bed and clean, and had given him a sleeping pill the night before so he could get some rest before he was set to leave at 8:30 the next morning.

True to form, Edge arrived to pick him up at 6, Red keeping him from leaving until Papyrus had his shower and a small breakfast; toast and a banana was all he’d really been able to stomach, unfortunately. It was too bad he was a skeleton, and skeleton’s didn’t really have a digestive tract.

It was brioche bread, at the very least. Rich and buttery and way too much for his now aching stomach as Edge pulled into the driveway of the massive building. 

He pulled into a spot close to the door, the wince on his face as he got a little close to another vehicle making Papyrus wonder if he didn’t usually park much further away, so as not to get his nice McLaren scratched up. On the black, glossy paint, it’d be easy to see any and all scratches. 

Still, he was grateful to not have to walk all the way from the farthest parking space to the front door, if only because now he didn’t have the time to make a break for it down the road and to the highway. It’d only take 20 minutes to run back to the house he and Red shared, he’d calculated it.

He was startled out of his thoughts as Edge gently put his hand to the small of Papyrus’ back, leading him up the walk and through the front doors as if Papyrus’ hands weren’t shaking. 

“It’ll be alright.” Edge whispered, before letting go and heading straight for the nice looking front desk. Papyrus followed if only because he didn’t have much else to do, signing in on the guest sheet when Edge prompted him to, before following him again down the hallway.

“I have permission to spend most of my day leading you around and showing you the various faculties, so that’s our mission for the day.” Edge said, pure and simple and much more calm than Papyrus was feeling. Still, he nodded and listened intently as Edge showed him around the main building of the Monster State Embassy. 

It was a sprawling building, one that monsters had spent nearly 6 months constructing with their own supplies and hard work. It was a beacon to most monsters, new and old, that they would not lay down and take whatever humanity would give them.

Seeing as how “humanity” wouldn’t spare them a scrap of bread if they were dying of starvation, it was a good thing that the various Underground Leaders had stepped up to make sure that it wasn’t ever going to be an issue, having to rely on humans for their wellbeing.

Edge showed him the various offices, the lunch and breakfast cafeteria, and took him to meet the first Fellground’s Asgore, Edge’s Asgore himself.

“Howdy, Papyrus- well it's quite strange saying it, that way. How do you do?”

It was indeed strange to have a black-maned Asgore staring down at him, Papyrus feeling his LV just from where he stood. The man was large and impossibly massive, making his own Asgore seem weak and feeble in comparison. His red eyes seemed to be studying Papyrus, and for a moment, just a moment, he was back in the store, his boss’s red face, the spit flying as he screamed and screamed and the next thing Papyrus knew, he was no longer in the room with the imposing Asgore, he was in a side office with a small beaver monster staring up at him with wide, unsure eyes, Edge up in his face as he was apparently trying to calm him down. 

“Papyrus, its alright, he wouldn’t have ever tried to harm you, you’re safe, I promise-”

Papyrus gently pushed him away, bringing a shaking up to his face as he wiped away the small bevy of tears that had started streaming down his face.

“I’m okay… I just remembered…”

Edge stared hard at him, before sighing, nodding once. “I understand. Would you like to go home?”

Papyrus glanced up at him, eyes aching as he smiled. “Please.”

In the next few minutes, after a well placed text, Red was there, pulled Papyrus close to him as he gave his brother a “See ya, boss.” before taking them both home. 

Papyrus flopped on the couch as soon as they stepped through the void, breaths shuddering as he tried not to let himself get dragged down into weeping sobs. Red sat next to him, gently massaging his shoulder as he talked softly to him, calming him down enough that he could scoot over and let Red lay beside him. 

“So how’d the actual tour part o’ the tour go?” Red asked, holding one of Papyrus’ hands in his own and gently rubbing the metacarpals. 

Papyrus shrugged. “It was alright. The food seemed nice enough, a nice rabbit lady gave me a donut, she said I looked pale and like I needed to eat and fatten up.”

Red snorted, Papyrus continuing on.

“You’d think that because I’m a skeleton, she would have assumed I was at peak health, but no, something in my physiological structure made her think I’m emaciated. Imagine that.”

Red chuckled. “She might as well ‘ave told yer ya needed some meat on yer bones.”

Papyrus turned his head, glaring at Red with all the strength he had left… which admittedly wasn’t a lot after crying for 30 minutes.

“Red?” he finally whispered, staring up at the ceiling. “Do you think I’d make a good ambassador?”

Red was silent for a long moment, before he cuddled up to Papyrus’ chest, sighing in comfort. “The best, Paps.”

Papyrus nodded, closing his sockets as the last remaining tears escaped, and the two of them went to sleep in each other’s arms.


End file.
